Montblanc x Fritz Schimpf 149 Italic Edge

[Tom Kellie]

[Tom Kellie]

[Tom Kellie]

[Tom Kellie]

[Tom Kellie]

 

Montblanc x Fritz Schimpf 149 Italic Edge Over a Teacup

[NoType]

Here is the 17 September update with a dozen additional inks generously tested by Tom Kellie (as appear in above posts).  

 

Inks for Italic Edge 100

   Recommended: Dry and | or Light Colours

   Tested:

      BIRMINGHAM PENS

         [Carrau reports all looked and behaved well]

         Aluminium Oxide **

            (blue|teal grey) darker than usual,

            nearly black

         Barley

            light colour, softly glowing, shades well in this nib

         Cornflower **

            (med blue, H20 resist) slightly darker; 

            fine behaviour

         Eroded Bronze **

            (slate blue) improved saturation

            makes it usable 

         Lichen Watermark **

            (murky green) now med saturation 

         Pincushion Moss **

            (green, H20 resist) deeper green than 

             usual 

         Tattered Jute **

            (sepia, H20 resist) perfect in this pen 

      CARAN D’ACHE  

         Ultra Violet

            highest performance in this nib 

      COLORVERSE  

         TexMex

            high saturation 

         Quahog

            pale, distinctive colour

      DE ATRAMENTIS  

         Kir Royal

            (scented) this complex formulation of  
            natural ingredients and pigments performs well

      DIAMINE  

         Blue Black Archival Registrar’s Ink

         China Blue

         Damson

         Deep Magenta

            well behaved 

         Delamere Green

            high saturation; well lubricated

         Earl Grey **

            darker grey; more saturated than usual

         Eau de Nil

         Eclipse **

            (very dark purple) black when wet; 

            T. Kellie reports favourably 

         Golden Brown

         Green Umber

         Havasu Turquoise

            ravishing colour is very impressive in this nib 

         Honey Burst

         Maroon

         Prussian Blue

         Quartz Black

            dark tone, but the nib still exhibits pleasant shading 

         Red Dragon

         Safari

            admirably suited for this pen 

         Salamander

         Sargasso Sea

         Teal

      FERRIS WHEEL PRESS  

         Fleur-de-nuit

            pale, pastel ink performs well in this nib

      FRITZ SCHIMPF

         Fritzrot * ^

            (red) wet; good saturation; good 

            shading

         Gelassenheit

            an ideal ink for this pen

         Gewitterwolke

         Morgenröte

         Niebla

            (misty violet) an ideal ink for this pen

         Photographer’s Blue ^^^

            dryness is good match for this nib; good shading

         Sirimiri

         Sundowner *

            (orange) wet; good saturation; good 

            shading

         Zwischenlicht ^ **

      J HERBIN

         Ambre de Birmanie

         Bleu des Profondours

         Bleu Myosotis

            optimal ink flow and no skipping 

         Café des Iles

         Éclat de Saphir

         Larmes de Cassis

         Rose Cyclamen

         Rouge Opéra

            deep colour enhanced by this pen’s broad strokes

         Rouille d’Ancre

            anchor rust pastel colour shows well in this nib

         Vert Empire

         Vert Réséda

            colour inspired by mignonette (Reseda) foliage

      JACQUES HERBIN

         Rouge d’Orient

      JUSTWRITE + MONTBLANC (amberleadavis’ personal                  blend)

         Blackstone Red + Red Fox (Petit Prince) ^^

            redder than Red Fox; nib crud evident

      KWZ  

         Grapefruit

            high saturation 

         Honey

         [Both, below, looked and performed 

         outstandingly]

         Iron Gall Blue-Black **
           high saturation; no shading in dip test

         Iron Gall Green #3 **
           (green-black) similar colour to the tree 

            Norway spruce; high saturation; no 

            shading in dip test

      KYOTO INKS

         Kyo No Oto Aonibi **

            (slate blue) beautiful shading; slight 

            skipping; performs best in this pen

         Kyo No Oto Adzuki-Iro 

         Kyo No Oto Hisoku

         Kyo No Oto Kokeiro

         Kyo No Oto Moegiiro

            rich colour; excellent shading; top-level performance 

         Kyo No Oto Sakuranezumi

         Kyo No Oto Yamabukiiro

         Kyo-Iro Flaming Red of Fushimi

         Kyo-Iro Soft Snow of Ohara

         Kyo-Iro Stone Road of Gion

      L’ ARTISAN PASTELLIER

         Bleu Méditerranée

         Gris de Payne

            bravura performance in this nib

         Heure Dorée

         Omi Osun

         Sepia

         Teodora

         Yalumba

      L’ ARTISAN PASTELLIER CALLIFOLIO

         Anahuac

         Andrinople

            dark, rich-toned ink

         Aurora

         Bosohore

            this premium dry ink works well in the nib

         Bourgogne

            another example of a sophisticated ink working well in             this nib

         Byzance

            truly outstanding performance in this nib

         Equinoxe(6)

         Inti

      MONTBLANC

         Burgundy Red 

         Chinese Blue (The Blues Palette)

            soothing colour evokes fine blue porcelain 

         Cool Grey

         Enzo Ferrari Purple

            deep, rich, resonant purple 

         Green (Hommage à the Brothers Grimm)

            dark tone; shades well; full richness of hue on display

         Lapis Lazuli (The Blues Palette)

            classic, rich blue shows well in this nib 

         Midnight Blue

         Miles Davis Jazz Blue ^^^

            dry, not very saturated ink, shades well in this nib

         Mint Green (Hommage à Victoria & Albert)

         Modena Red

         Red Fox (Petit Prince)

         Royal Blue

         Scarlet Red (Hommage à Arthur Conan Doyle)

         Toffee Brown **

            (usually reddish brown) more 

            saturated; more red when wet | more 

            chocolate when dry; modest shading on

            Rhodia

      PARKER  

         Quink Blue Black

            (“permanent” or stain-capable, not waterproof)

         Quink Washable Blue 

      PELIKAN EDELSTEIN  

         Olivine ^^^

            more shading than seen with AKKERMAN Shocking                   Blue

         Topaz

            dry ink with richly saturated hue performs well in this               nib

      PELIKAN 4001  

         [Iron Gall] Blue-Black **

            T. Kellie reports this ink is an ideal match    
            for this nib as it’s notably dry

         Brilliant Brown

            well behaved, smooth flow, no skipping

         Königsblau [Royal Blue]

         Turquoise 

         Violet

      PILOT

         Iroshizuku Ajisai **

            (light blue) colour similar to but more 

            saturated than the flowers the Cape 

            Jasmine (Plumbago) and the Cornflower

         Iroshizuku Fuyu-syogun

         Iroshizuku Kiri-same

            (light grey) shades well in this nib

         Iroshizuku Kon-peki

         Iroshizuku Syo-ro

            typically of  Iroshizuku, well suited to this nib’s ability                 to display rich colour 

         Iroshizuku Tsuyu-kusa

      PLATINUM

         Cassis Black

         Pigment Ink Brun Sepia

            [pigmented]

      P.W. AKKERMAN  

         China Town Red

            very well suited to the nib

         Delft Blue **

         Koninginne Nach-Blauw

         Residentie Blauw

         Royal Akkermanblauw

            quintessentially premium ink works well in this nib

         Shocking Blue ^^^

            little shading; slight sheen; ink may be too wet for this               nib

      ROBERT OSTER

         African Gold

            striking colour, beautiful shading

         Australian Opal Pink

            very light-toned ink performs in this pen

         Dragon’s Night

            very dark ink still shades in this nib

         Fire Engine Red

         Grey Seas **

            (blue-leaning grey) well behaved;

            beautiful shading; T. Kellie reports superb hue and                     performance

         Midnight Sapphire **

            (grey-leaning blue) well behaved;

            lovely shading similar to PELIKAN 4001 

            Blue-Black

         Muddy Bucket

            shades very well

         Purple Rock **

            (grey purple) much more saturated |

            darker; less grey than usual; less 

            shading than usual

         Terracotta

            an ideal ink for this pen

         Vanness Blue River
      ROHRER & KLINGER

         Alt-Bordeaux

         Alt-Goldgrün

         Dokumentus Light Blue

            (H20 resist)

         Kastanienbraun

         Leipziger Schwarz

            very dark ink provides intense contrast in this nib 

         [Iron Gall] Salix

         [Iron Gall] Scabiosa

         Verdigris

         Verdura
      SAILOR

         [Pigmented] Nano Kiwa-guro

            (“shiny” black, H20 resist) dark tone 

         Manyo Ink Nadeshiko **

            (light blue) colour similar to but more 

            saturated than the flowers the Cape 

            Jasmine (Plumbago) and the Cornflower;

            (similar to PILOT Ajisai)

         Manyo Ink Ume

         Nagasawa Kobe Ink Maiko-West Pearl Blue

            pale ink shades well in this nib

         Shikiori Ink Yonaga

            dark ink’s subtle tones show well in the nib

         Yurameku Ink Itezora

            pale ink that shades well in the nib

         Yurameku Ink Kyokkou

            light tone performs well in the nib
      SCRIBE

         Indigo ^^^

            good shading; sheen present (amount is 

            paper dependent)

      SUPER5

         Delhi | Orange ^^

      TACCIA UKIYO-E

         Hiroshige-Ruri

            dry; effortless performance

      WALDMANN

         Blue

            good shading 

      WATERMAN

         Serenity Blue **

            very wet

——————

   Tested by:

      * Como (on Feinpost or Brause Calligraphy)

      ** Carrau (on Rhodia or Staples TruRed)

      ^ Sebastian Stolz (on Feinpost)
      ^^ amberleadavis

      ^^^ bunnspecial (on Feinpost, Rhodia, or Tomoe River)

      all others Tom Kellie (on Feinpost)

[bunnspecial]

[arcfide]

I really like this format of lots of different ink samples with the same pen. I shudder to think about the cleaning regiment that it involves, but the end result is really appealing. I must say, this pen makes Eclat de Saphir very appealing to me, compared to other nibs. 

[fireant]

On 9/10/2022 at 9:26 PM, Frank C said:

@Tom Kellie, thanks for posting these. I have more ideas for inks for the Italic Edge. You might have more ink than @amberleadavis 😃

 

Is this even possible?

[NoType]

Here is the 17 September update with a dozen additional inks generously tested by Tom Kellie (as appear in above posts), and an additional ink generously tested by bunnspecial (as appears in above post).

 

Inks for Italic Edge 100

   Recommended: Dry and | or Light Colours

   Tested:

      BIRMINGHAM PENS

         [Carrau reports all looked and behaved well]

         Aluminium Oxide **

            (blue|teal grey) darker than usual,

            nearly black

         Barley

            light colour, softly glowing, shades well in this nib

         Cornflower **

            (med blue, H20 resist) slightly darker; 

            fine behaviour

         Eroded Bronze **

            (slate blue) improved saturation

            makes it usable 

         Lichen Watermark **

            (murky green) now med saturation 

         Pincushion Moss **

            (green, H20 resist) deeper green than 

             usual 

         Tattered Jute **

            (sepia, H20 resist) perfect in this pen 

      CARAN D’ACHE  

         Ultra Violet

            highest performance in this nib 

      COLORVERSE  

         TexMex

            high saturation 

         Quahog

            pale, distinctive colour

      DE ATRAMENTIS  

         Kir Royal

            (scented) this complex formulation of  
            natural ingredients and pigments performs well

      DIAMINE  

         Blue Black Archival Registrar’s Ink

         China Blue

         Damson

         Deep Magenta

            well behaved 

         Delamere Green

            high saturation; well lubricated

         Earl Grey **

            darker grey; more saturated than usual

         Eau de Nil

         Eclipse **

            (very dark purple) black when wet; 

            T. Kellie reports favourably 

         Golden Brown

         Green Umber

         Havasu Turquoise

            ravishing colour is very impressive in this nib 

         Honey Burst

         Maroon

         Prussian Blue

         Quartz Black

            dark tone, but the nib still exhibits pleasant shading 

         Red Dragon

         Safari

            admirably suited for this pen 

         Salamander

         Sargasso Sea

         Teal

      FERRIS WHEEL PRESS  

         Fleur-de-nuit

            pale, pastel ink performs well in this nib

      FRITZ SCHIMPF

         Fritzrot * ^

            (red) wet; good saturation; good 

            shading

         Gelassenheit

            an ideal ink for this pen

         Gewitterwolke

         Morgenröte

         Niebla

            (misty violet) an ideal ink for this pen

         Photographer’s Blue ^^^

            dryness is good match for this nib; good shading

         Sirimiri

         Sundowner *

            (orange) wet; good saturation; good 

            shading

         Zwischenlicht ^ **

      J HERBIN

         Ambre de Birmanie

         Bleu des Profondours

         Bleu Myosotis

            optimal ink flow and no skipping 

         Café des Iles

         Éclat de Saphir

         Larmes de Cassis

         Rose Cyclamen

         Rouge Opéra

            deep colour enhanced by this pen’s broad strokes

         Rouille d’Ancre

            anchor rust pastel colour shows well in this nib

         Vert Empire

         Vert Réséda

            colour inspired by mignonette (Reseda) foliage

      JACQUES HERBIN

         Rouge d’Orient

      JUSTWRITE + MONTBLANC (amberleadavis’ personal blend)

         Blackstone Red + Red Fox (Petit Prince) ^^

            redder than Red Fox; nib crud evident

      KWZ  

         Grapefruit

            high saturation 

         Honey

         [Carrau reports both, below, looked and  

         performed outstandingly]

         Iron Gall Blue-Black **
           high saturation; no shading in dip test

         Iron Gall Green #3 **
           (green-black) similar colour to the tree 

            Norway spruce; high saturation; no 

            shading in dip test

      KYOTO INKS

         Kyo No Oto Aonibi **

            (slate blue) beautiful shading; slight 

            skipping; performs best in this pen

         Kyo No Oto Adzuki-Iro 

         Kyo No Oto Hisoku

         Kyo No Oto Kokeiro

         Kyo No Oto Moegiiro

            rich colour; excellent shading; top-level 

            performance 

         Kyo No Oto Sakuranezumi

         Kyo No Oto Yamabukiiro

         Kyo-Iro Flaming Red of Fushimi

         Kyo-Iro Soft Snow of Ohara

         Kyo-Iro Stone Road of Gion

      L’ ARTISAN PASTELLIER

         Bleu Méditerranée

         Gris de Payne

            bravura performance in this nib

         Heure Dorée

         Omi Osun

         Sepia

         Teodora

         Yalumba

      L’ ARTISAN PASTELLIER CALLIFOLIO

         Anahuac

         Andrinople

            dark, rich-toned ink

         Aurora

         Bosohore

            this premium dry ink works well in the nib

         Bourgogne

            another example of a sophisticated ink

            working well in this nib

         Byzance

            truly outstanding performance in this nib

         Equinoxe(6)

         Inti

      MONTBLANC

         Burgundy Red 

         Chinese Blue (The Blues Palette)

            soothing colour evokes fine blue porcelain 

         Cool Grey

         Enzo Ferrari Purple

            deep, rich, resonant purple 

         Green (Hommage à the Brothers Grimm)

            dark tone; shades well; full richness of hue

            on display

         Lapis Lazuli (The Blues Palette)

            classic, rich blue shows well in this nib 

         Midnight Blue

         Miles Davis Jazz Blue ^^^

            dry, not very saturated ink, shades well in this nib

         Mint Green (Hommage à Victoria & Albert)

         Modena Red

         Red Fox (Petit Prince)

         Royal Blue

         Scarlet Red (Hommage à Arthur Conan Doyle)

         Toffee Brown **

            (usually reddish brown) more 

            saturated; more red when wet | more 

            chocolate when dry; modest shading on

            Rhodia

         Ultramarine (The Blues Palette) ^^^

            wet; very dark; good shading; sheen present

            (amount is paper dependent - gold on Tomoe

            River)

      PARKER  

         Quink Blue Black

            (“permanent” or stain-capable, not waterproof)

         Quink Washable Blue 

      PELIKAN EDELSTEIN  

         Olivine ^^^

            more shading than seen with

            P.W. AKKERMAN Shocking Blue

         Topaz

            dry ink with richly saturated hue performs well in this nib

      PELIKAN 4001  

         [Iron Gall] Blue-Black **

            T. Kellie reports this ink is an ideal match    
            for this nib as it’s notably dry

         Brilliant Brown

            well behaved, smooth flow, no skipping

         Königsblau [Royal Blue]

         Turquoise 

         Violet

      PILOT

         Iroshizuku Ajisai **

            (light blue) colour similar to but more 

            saturated than the flowers the Cape 

            Jasmine (Plumbago) and the Cornflower

         Iroshizuku Fuyu-syogun

         Iroshizuku Kiri-same

            (light grey) shades well in this nib

         Iroshizuku Kon-peki

         Iroshizuku Syo-ro

            typically of  Iroshizuku, well suited to this nib’s

            ability to display rich colour 

         Iroshizuku Tsuyu-kusa

      PLATINUM

         Cassis Black

         Pigment Ink Brun Sepia

            [pigmented]

      P.W. AKKERMAN  

         China Town Red

            very well suited to the nib

         Delft Blue **

         Koninginne Nach-Blauw

         Residentie Blauw

         Royal Akkermanblauw

            quintessentially premium ink works well in this nib

         Shocking Blue ^^^

            little shading; slight sheen; ink may be too wet for this nib

      ROBERT OSTER

         African Gold

            striking colour, beautiful shading

         Australian Opal Pink

            very light-toned ink performs in this pen

         Dragon’s Night

            very dark ink still shades in this nib

         Fire Engine Red

         Grey Seas **

            (blue-leaning grey) well behaved;

            beautiful shading; T. Kellie reports superb hue and                    
            performance

         Midnight Sapphire **

            (grey-leaning blue) well behaved;

            lovely shading similar to PELIKAN 4001 

            Blue-Black

         Muddy Bucket

            shades very well

         Purple Rock **

            (grey purple) much more saturated |

            darker; less grey than usual; less 

            shading than usual

         Terracotta

            an ideal ink for this pen

         Vanness Blue River
      ROHRER & KLINGER

         Alt-Bordeaux

         Alt-Goldgrün

         Dokumentus Light Blue

            (H20 resist)

         Kastanienbraun

         Leipziger Schwarz

            very dark ink provides intense contrast in this nib 

         [Iron Gall] Salix

         [Iron Gall] Scabiosa

         Verdigris

         Verdura
      SAILOR

         [Pigmented] Nano Kiwa-guro

            (“shiny” black, H20 resist) dark tone 

         Manyo Ink Nadeshiko **

            (light blue) colour similar to but more 

            saturated than the flowers the Cape 

            Jasmine (Plumbago) and the Cornflower;

            (similar to PILOT Iroshizuku Ajisai)

         Manyo Ink Ume

         Nagasawa Kobe Ink Maiko-West Pearl Blue

            pale ink shades well in this nib

         Shikiori Ink Yonaga

            dark ink’s subtle tones show well in the nib

         Yurameku Ink Itezora

            pale ink that shades well in the nib

         Yurameku Ink Kyokkou

            light tone performs well in the nib
      SCRIBE

         Indigo ^^^

            good shading; sheen present (amount is 

            paper dependent)

      SUPER5

         Delhi | Orange ^^

      TACCIA UKIYO-E

         Hiroshige-Ruri

            dry; effortless performance

      WALDMANN

         Blue

            good shading 

      WATERMAN

         Serenity Blue **

            very wet

——————

   Tested by:

      * Como (on Feinpost or Brause Calligraphy)

      ** Carrau (on Rhodia or Staples TruRed)

      ^ Sebastian Stolz (on Feinpost)
      ^^ amberleadavis

      ^^^ bunnspecial (on Feinpost, Rhodia, or Tomoe River)

      all others Tom Kellie (on Feinpost)

[Frank C]

4 hours ago, fireant said:

 

Is this even possible?

It's a theoretical possibility, but @Tom Kellie uses more ink than @amberleadavis with that big 4B Montblanc Italic Edge. Reminds me of when my dad pulled his Cadillac into the gas station in 1973—the original gas crisis—and the service station attendant (remember them?) said, "Would you turn the motor off buddy, so we have a chance to catch up." 

 

[amberleadavis]

1 minute ago, Frank C said:

It's a theoretical possibility, but @Tom Kellie uses more ink than @amberleadavis with that big 4B Montblanc Italic Edge. Reminds me of when my dad pulled his Cadillac into the gas station in 1973—the original gas crisis—and the service station attendant (remember them?) said, "Would you turn the motor off buddy, so we have a chance to catch up." 

 

 

I like that quote.

 

I also fill the pen all the way up and write out three or four fills before cleaning and using a new ink.

[fireant]

On 9/17/2022 at 7:42 PM, amberleadavis said:

 

I like that quote.

 

I also fill the pen all the way up and write out three or four fills before cleaning and using a new ink.

 

I'm waffling on whether to buy this or not. I swore my next pen would be a nakaya.

[Frank C]

2 hours ago, fireant said:

 

I'm waffling on whether to buy this or not. I swore my next pen would be a nakaya.

If you want one of these, you should get one. They only made 100. I'm surprised they've lasted this long. 

 

Nakayas are always being made, although they do sell out. And they do change colors. There was a light blue that I loved, but Nakaya had trouble with quality control and discontinued that color. 

[Seney724]

2 hours ago, fireant said:

 

I'm waffling on whether to buy this or not. I swore my next pen would be a nakaya.

Well, you  have probably come to the wrong place to ask that question!!

Several of us have one (or more!).

 

Everyone who has commented upon theirs has expressed immense joy & happiness!

 

I think the recommendation, from here, (NOT an official FPN recommendation, just the recommendation from the FPN members who constitute the "Italic Edge Owners Group"  :>) ) would be a "strong buy!"

 

I can't imagine they have many of them left............

 

Good luck!

[bunnspecial]

The Italic Edge definitely gets a strong buy from me! If my wife wouldn't shoot me I'd be tempted to get a second one...

 

It is one of the most interesting nibs I've used a while, and at the same time I can carry one pen that serves me well for tiny print and huge print. I know it's not unique in that, but I don't know if there are any other pens that go about it in this exact way.

 

For as much too as people want to crow about Montblancs "selling out" or what have you, pens like this are also a great reminder to me that Montblanc is a pen maker through and through, and knows how to make a darn good one.

[fireant]

1 hour ago, Seney724 said:

Well, you  have probably come to the wrong place to ask that question!!

Several of us have one (or more!).

 

Everyone who has commented upon theirs has expressed immense joy & happiness!

 

I think the recommendation, from here, (NOT an official FPN recommendation, just the recommendation from the FPN members who constitute the "Italic Edge Owners Group"  :>) ) would be a "strong buy!"

 

I can't imagine they have many of them left............

 

Good luck!

 

That was a good argument in favor.

 

[amberleadavis]

@fireant, so far, no purchasers have been unhappy with the Italic Edge.   I call it the MBIE and smile every time I use it.

[fireant]

10 minutes ago, amberleadavis said:

@fireant, so far, no purchasers have been unhappy with the Italic Edge.   I call it the MBIE and smile every time I use it.

 

 

[Tom Kellie]